Gadgets Mobile

The Nokia 6212 Classic is obviously not about the looks. And with a 2-megapixel camera, 2-inch TFT screen, 3G connectivity, built-in FM radio and mp3 player, it’s hard to say that it’s rocking high technology inside too. But what it does have that separates it from the gajillion other mid-level market handsets out there is the fact that it has integrated NFC or Near-Field Communications technology, which enables it to connect to other NFC-enabled devices and make content transfers easier than ever.

NFC-capable handsets such as the Nokia 6212 classic, according to Jeremy Belostock, the Head of Near Field Communications in Nokia, are set to change the way mobile phone users interact with devices and services in their surroundings. Other than being an NFC-enabled handset that can exchange files like photos and MP3’s with other NFC-enabled devices by being near then and just one touch, you can also make payments with it by having it scanned by a sensor of sorts. And while I’m sure this will save some time for more than a few people, it’s a whole new kind of technology that the not-so-tech-savvy are going to have to learn to appreciate. Which could be bad news, depending on how you look at it.

The Nokia 6212 Classic is set to be released by Q3 2008 for about $320 USD. And with other features like support for MicroSD cards up to 2GB of memory and Nokia’s well loved UI, it’s a safe bet for your next budget handset.

Product [Nokia]

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AxelR, a member of the Excellent DP Review forums, has snuck a look inside the code of Nikon’s new firmware update for its flagship D3 camera. What did he find? References to a future D3-X model with a whopping 24.4 megapixels. He searched the v1.10 code for the string “D3X” and came up with the following:

6048×4032 24.4 M

4544×3024 13.7 M

3024×2016 6.1 M

5056×4032 20.4 M

3792×3024 11.5 M

2528×2016 5.1 M

3968×2640 10.5 M

2976×1976 5.9 M

1984×1320 2.6 M

The most interesting post in the forum thread comes from Thom Hogan, the author of several books on Nikon DSLRs and general Nikon authority. While a common code base for firmware is the likely reason that snippets for future models are showing up in the update, Thom reckons that there could already be D3 cameras in the wild sporting the bigger sensors:

Sure. But the real reason is almost certainly that there are some D3 bodies out there with the new sensor being tested.

If this is true, then opening up those extra pixels is just a hack away. Remember, manufacturers cripple their cameras in software to differentiate the product line. The Wired How-To Wiki has detailed instructions for adding RAW support and higher ISO settings to cheapo Canon point-and-shoots. Why not Nikon, too?

Forum thread [DP Review]

The Push-kun (Mr. Push) robot must be an ancient ancestor of R2D2 as he gets around on crab-like legs. In addition to moving around independently, it is able to tell jokes (useful for social situations where you’re an introvert), playing drum rolls on itself, tossing oversized dice as well as performing screwball antics. Robot Force from Osaka is the company behind Push-kun, and one will realize by now that this robot doesn’t really have any practical use other than to wow first time visitors to your home.

Chinese developer iPhone Cake has added handwriting recognition to the iPhone. HWPen works in both Chinese and Latin alphabets, and it works pretty well.

The native application (for jailbroken iPhones only), adds an extra button to the keyboard screen. Tap it and you get the screen above, which lets you write on the screen with your finger. Because it integrates with the native text input of the iPhone, HWPen is available anywhere you would normally use the keyboard. It even works with the iPhone’s auto-complete function, so you can start to type a word and hit the spacebar to pick spelling suggestions.

The application tries it’s best with full words, but works better if you enter a letter at a time. Another problem is that it defaults back to Chinese input every time you use it, which means an extra button press. Still, if third party developers are managing to work at this level, imagine what Apple’s engineers can do. If they learn from the Newton, that is.

Software source: iphonecake.com/src/all

Product page [iPhone Cake via iphone Hacks]

No, it’s not an android-like robot, but rather a big automated machine that sits next to a wall with its 13 cylindrical bins of roasted and raw beans. Six bins hold beans just before roasting.

The tubes are hooked up via a pneumatic mechanism. When someone orders a cup of joe, the Javabot kicks into action sucking enough beans over to the roaster, then the grinder and then into the brewing machine.

You can get a look at (and some coffee from) the Javabot at the Roasting Plant coffee store in New York City.

via everywhere.

Posted in Miscellaneous

An article over at Variety.com quotes sources, “close to publisher Take-Two Interactive” as saying the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto IV will make US$400 million in its first week. To put that in context, Halo 3 managed US$300 million in its first week and that game currently holds the top spot for sales.

The source also went on to say they fully expect sales to exceed 6 million units worldwide. So far Halo 3 has managed 5 million units. Take-Two has declined to comment on the speculative figures.

So, regardless of who said what, could GTA IV take the top spot on release? I would have to say it definitely and easily could. There are a number of reasons for that statement and here they are:

• GTA has built its fan base over several years with iterations of the game adding ever more things to do while improving on the presentation. The previews I have read are all positive and it looks like GTA IV is going to continue the tradition of a game everyone wants to play.
• The previous game in the series, GTA San Andreas, has stacked up over 21 million sales worldwide. The user base for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is still relatively small, but 6 million doesn’t seem like a lot when you think over 3 times the people bought the previous game.
• There have been no other really big releases on the 360 and PS3 for a while. Gamers want a new big game to play and you don’t get any bigger than GTA. Gamers will be buying it in droves.
• I would say the popularity of the GTA series is at least on par with Halo. Halo 3 has set the next-gen sales record, but GTA IV has the distinct advantage of releasing on Microsoft and Sony hardware simultaneously. The user base of both consoles has also continued to grow significantly since the release of Halo 3. The potential is certainly there for US$400 million in the first week.

There isn’t long to wait now until we find out if these forecasts are right. The only stumbling block for Take-Two and Rockstar is if the game is delayed or supply does not meet demand. Either of those could stifle sales for a while and allow Halo 3 to retain the top spot.

Read more at Variety.com

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 16th 2008 at 11:09AM
For those breaking into a sweat trying to decide whether or not the Nike+ SportBand is really worth your hard earned dollars / euros / pounds / Schrutebucks, simmer on down. The runners over at the Stuff offices have snapped one up and tossed out their two pence. Summarized as a “Nike+ipod system without music,” the unit was given fairly high marks all around. It was noted that calibration was highly recommended before taking on the London Marathon, but that setup was a real lesson in simplicity. Design wise, most everything was kosher save for the detachable face (Link USB drive) that may not fit perfectly in slim laptops sitting flush on a table and the non-backlit display that proved difficult to see at night. Believe it or not, critics still found the SportBand to be a joy to use despite the aforesaid quirks, but given the drawbacks, we’d certainly recommend trying out a pal’s before throwing down for your own.

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Filed under: Wearables

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 16th 2008 at 9:19AM
Yeah, Cin King has been tickling people’s fancy for a small while now, but with a lineup consisting of the Slim Jim, Full Power Flagship, Naked Wonder and Circular 360, how could we not pass this along? Barring some sort of miracle, it’s safe to assume that all of these motorcars are patently fake, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a laugh out of such a cleverly designed website meant to showcase the whole family, right? Go on, you know you can’t wait to read more about “the first electric car with diesel drive,” a compact with twin turbines, anything codenamed “Naked Wonder,” and a round-mobile ripped straight out of 2184 (or an obscure episode of The Jetsons). ‘Tis a shame these aren’t anywhere near production — they’d go over so well in America.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

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Filed under: Transportation

If you were blown away by the color-screen version of the handheld Tetris game, then you’ll love this Meiji chocolate bar puzzle from Strapya World. You’re clearly quite easy to please, so I can tell you won’t mind that the inedible puzzle isn’t electronic and that rather than clearing lines, the object of this “game” is to fit all of the chocolate-looking pieces into the included clear container.

It’s the anti-Tetris really because you’ve got similar-looking pieces that must be positioned manually (instead of flipping them frantically into place as they fall from the sky at accelerating speeds) and the more open space you have, the less “done” the game is (as opposed to trying not to let the rows of blocks build up too high). Additionally, if you’ve managed to figure out all 2,339 ways to solve the puzzle, you get to”level up” by buying another chocolate bar: white chocolate = easy, milk chocolate = beginner, black (dark?) chocolate = advanced.

Grab yours from Strapaya World for about $7.

The Queensland University of Technology in Australia have developed an innovative solar cell technology which utilizes dye-infused, translucent solar cells. These solar cells will then be integrated into windows, relying on a technology known as “artificial photosynthesis” where a dye similar to chlorophyll absorbs light and generates electricity. No idea on what the efficiency level is, but it definitely won’t be able to generate enough power to fuel an entire city assuming all buildings have these installed as windows. It ought to take a chunk off your monthly power bill though.